Bill Richard was sworn in just a few feet from the man who killed his son.
But not once did he look at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev throughout his half-hour testimony.
Richard said that day in 2013 he and his family, as they often did, went to the Marathon and then took a break for ice cream. They returned to Boylston Street and tried to get close to the finish line. It was in front of the Forum restaurant that the second bomb went off. The courtroom watched that explosion in slow motion. The time code on the video read 14:50.
Richard, composed, but clearly affected by the memory, spoke of finding his son on the street.
“I saw a little boy who had his body badly damaged…and I knew from what I saw there was no chance” he said.
With his son and daughter rushed in an ambulance to Children’s Hospital, Richard said "I knew in my mind I needed to act quickly or we might not only lose Martin, but lose Jane too.” Jane lost her leg. His wife Denise lost an eye. Richard lost part of his hearing but told the court, “ I can still hear you. I can still hear music. I can still hear the beautiful voices of my family”
The defense chose not to cross examine any of the witnesses so far. Testimony resumes Monday.
